Gezicht op Brussel (rechterdeel) 1640

Abraham Dircksz. Santvoort created this print of Brussels, sometime in the mid-17th century. From a high vantage point we see a detailed depiction of the city, framed below by figures on the outskirts and above by an allegorical scene of an angel vanquishing a demon. Images like this served a public role in the Netherlands at this time. In the decades after the Peace of Westphalia, civic identity was growing. The rising merchant class looked for ways to define their cities and establish their own place on the world stage. This print of Brussels creates meaning through it's depiction of the city as both an earthly place of commerce and a divinely protected land. To understand this print fully we can use sources such as period maps, city records, and religious texts to reconstruct the worldview of its original audience. By examining the image in its historical context we see it as more than a simple depiction, but as a powerful assertion of civic pride.